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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Ice-Cream Makers in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
An intriguing blurb promises an incredible story about an Italian ice-cream making family, however the story is nothing like you expect. Ernest van der Kwast’s <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> is set between a small village in Italy and the busy summer streets of Rotterdam. The Talamini family has been creating innovative ice-cream flavours for over a century, running a successful and hard-working parlour in the Netherlands. The business is handed down from father to son throughout the years, but now eldest son Giovanni has broken the tradition.
Giovanni Talamini has no interest in making ice-cream and would much rather spend the day reading poetry. After pursuing a literary career, Giovanni is now the director of the World Poetry Festival. Younger brother Luca has been left to pick up the <i>spatula</i> of the family business, but he has a problem of his own. Giovanni faces a dilemma: cut himself of from his family entirely or help his brother out with his peculiar request.
The highly unusual request mentioned in the blurb of <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> does not actually surface until the latter stages of the book. For the majority of the narrative there is no clear storyline, however the detail and information van der Kwast provides about ice-cream making, poetry and European culture makes the novel entirely worth reading. The request itself is entirely unexpected and not at all possible to guess, but it is an oddly brilliant way of reuniting two estranged brothers.
It takes a while for the narrative to start flowing as it constantly changes time periods. Giovanni, the narrator, rarely speaks in the present tense and is constantly relating events from his childhood and adulthood interspersed with family history and historical knowledge. On occasion the book takes on the air of an autobiography as Giovanni gives an in depth insight to the life of his family and his break from tradition. There is also the odd chapter that becomes almost a work of non-fiction, providing the reader with highbrow literary references and factual information about the history of ice-cream.
Once the scenes caused by the male sexual mind have been glossed over, <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> becomes a beautifully written, almost poetical story that compels and engages the reader despite the lack of a clear-cut storyline. The literary references will appeal to the intellectual, scholar, philosopher or culture enthusiast, for this novel teaches and inspires as well as entertains.
The amount of research van der Kwast conducted is phenomenal. The accuracy (or so is presumed) of the historical factors implies the author had thoroughly investigated the subject matter prior to writing. It is almost as though van der Kwast lived the life of Giovanni; it is entirely believable – hence the sense of an autobiography. Although the nature of the novel’s theme suggests a serious tone, van der Kwast has included a great deal of humour in the form of Giovanni and Luca’s father and his questionable mental health.
The lack of a climax prevents <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> from being described as an exciting book, however its beautifully poetic prose makes up for this absence. The philosophical insight into poetry will make you think about life and admire Giovanni for insisting on making his own way in the world. Likewise, Luca’s quiet acceptance and perseverance in the family business is also an admirable feat. Readers with a dislike for descriptive sexual scenarios may feel uncomfortable in a few of the resulting scenes, however the general story compensates for these distasteful passages. All in all, a high-quality work of fiction.
An intriguing blurb promises an incredible story about an Italian ice-cream making family, however the story is nothing like you expect. Ernest van der Kwast’s <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> is set between a small village in Italy and the busy summer streets of Rotterdam. The Talamini family has been creating innovative ice-cream flavours for over a century, running a successful and hard-working parlour in the Netherlands. The business is handed down from father to son throughout the years, but now eldest son Giovanni has broken the tradition.
Giovanni Talamini has no interest in making ice-cream and would much rather spend the day reading poetry. After pursuing a literary career, Giovanni is now the director of the World Poetry Festival. Younger brother Luca has been left to pick up the <i>spatula</i> of the family business, but he has a problem of his own. Giovanni faces a dilemma: cut himself of from his family entirely or help his brother out with his peculiar request.
The highly unusual request mentioned in the blurb of <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> does not actually surface until the latter stages of the book. For the majority of the narrative there is no clear storyline, however the detail and information van der Kwast provides about ice-cream making, poetry and European culture makes the novel entirely worth reading. The request itself is entirely unexpected and not at all possible to guess, but it is an oddly brilliant way of reuniting two estranged brothers.
It takes a while for the narrative to start flowing as it constantly changes time periods. Giovanni, the narrator, rarely speaks in the present tense and is constantly relating events from his childhood and adulthood interspersed with family history and historical knowledge. On occasion the book takes on the air of an autobiography as Giovanni gives an in depth insight to the life of his family and his break from tradition. There is also the odd chapter that becomes almost a work of non-fiction, providing the reader with highbrow literary references and factual information about the history of ice-cream.
Once the scenes caused by the male sexual mind have been glossed over, <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> becomes a beautifully written, almost poetical story that compels and engages the reader despite the lack of a clear-cut storyline. The literary references will appeal to the intellectual, scholar, philosopher or culture enthusiast, for this novel teaches and inspires as well as entertains.
The amount of research van der Kwast conducted is phenomenal. The accuracy (or so is presumed) of the historical factors implies the author had thoroughly investigated the subject matter prior to writing. It is almost as though van der Kwast lived the life of Giovanni; it is entirely believable – hence the sense of an autobiography. Although the nature of the novel’s theme suggests a serious tone, van der Kwast has included a great deal of humour in the form of Giovanni and Luca’s father and his questionable mental health.
The lack of a climax prevents <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> from being described as an exciting book, however its beautifully poetic prose makes up for this absence. The philosophical insight into poetry will make you think about life and admire Giovanni for insisting on making his own way in the world. Likewise, Luca’s quiet acceptance and perseverance in the family business is also an admirable feat. Readers with a dislike for descriptive sexual scenarios may feel uncomfortable in a few of the resulting scenes, however the general story compensates for these distasteful passages. All in all, a high-quality work of fiction.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Red Joan (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
There are some films that just stop me in my tracks, not because they're good or bad, but because they're so mediocre. I watched this two weeks ago and I've sat down to try and write this review about 8 times, each time I've ended up barely writing a sentence before giving up.
The film is split between present and past, this means that there's very little Dench despite what we're led to believe in the trailer. Old Joan doesn't get much of a chance to do anything other than be old, when she does get the chance to do something else it is effective but far too rare.
When the whole story relies so heavily on stories from the past I was surprised that they didn't use more of a storytelling idea. You don't see any of the evidence that they have in the modern case, we're just propelled back into Joan's memories. This made for a very easy leap from the interview room to the past. Joan was there telling her story so the fact they didn't use this opportunity to have her telling a story that spills over into the flashbacks as a voiceover seems like a rather large missed opportunity. It also might have helped form a bigger connection between the two versions of the main character and allowed us a better connection with her.
Dench was definitely not used to the best effect. I'd expect Joan in her old age to still have some of the pep from her youth about her, but there seemed to be few similarities between the two incarnations. I think I enjoyed Sophie Cookson as young Joan, but again, it wasn't something I was wowed about.
The whole production erred too much on the side of relationships rather than the espionage. I certainly think it could have stood up to having something a bit grittier in it. As it was it felt very much like a TV movie, and I possibly would have been more interested in it had it been a TV movie rather than a general release. Now I said that I feel it's completely mad that I have different expectations from the two areas for film releases.
Red Joan had very little that stood out for me, there were only two moments that shone. Tom Hughes as Leo giving his speech before meeting Joan, the reaction of the crowd to him was tremendous and overall the scene worked well. Then there's Ben Miles as Joan's son, Nick. He isn't bad in any of his scenes but right at the end of the film when he stands with his mother I was actually moved. The first of these scenes made me think there was hope for the film, the second sadly came too late to make a difference to the whole thing.
Everything about Red Joan was just okay in the end. When someone asked me about it my response was a shrug and the comment "it was a film". Coming from me that generally means the film will be forgotten very quickly.
I wish there was more to say about it. Ultimately I think I would have had more enjoyment out of researching the story this was loosely based on.
What you should do
This isn't one I'd recommend, the moments that are interesting and satisfying to watch do not outweigh the mediocre. Red Joan is something I would say is more interesting as non-fiction than fiction.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
One thing from the movie that I feel we should all take as a top life tip is that men are easily scared by sanitary products, a very handy thing to remember.
The film is split between present and past, this means that there's very little Dench despite what we're led to believe in the trailer. Old Joan doesn't get much of a chance to do anything other than be old, when she does get the chance to do something else it is effective but far too rare.
When the whole story relies so heavily on stories from the past I was surprised that they didn't use more of a storytelling idea. You don't see any of the evidence that they have in the modern case, we're just propelled back into Joan's memories. This made for a very easy leap from the interview room to the past. Joan was there telling her story so the fact they didn't use this opportunity to have her telling a story that spills over into the flashbacks as a voiceover seems like a rather large missed opportunity. It also might have helped form a bigger connection between the two versions of the main character and allowed us a better connection with her.
Dench was definitely not used to the best effect. I'd expect Joan in her old age to still have some of the pep from her youth about her, but there seemed to be few similarities between the two incarnations. I think I enjoyed Sophie Cookson as young Joan, but again, it wasn't something I was wowed about.
The whole production erred too much on the side of relationships rather than the espionage. I certainly think it could have stood up to having something a bit grittier in it. As it was it felt very much like a TV movie, and I possibly would have been more interested in it had it been a TV movie rather than a general release. Now I said that I feel it's completely mad that I have different expectations from the two areas for film releases.
Red Joan had very little that stood out for me, there were only two moments that shone. Tom Hughes as Leo giving his speech before meeting Joan, the reaction of the crowd to him was tremendous and overall the scene worked well. Then there's Ben Miles as Joan's son, Nick. He isn't bad in any of his scenes but right at the end of the film when he stands with his mother I was actually moved. The first of these scenes made me think there was hope for the film, the second sadly came too late to make a difference to the whole thing.
Everything about Red Joan was just okay in the end. When someone asked me about it my response was a shrug and the comment "it was a film". Coming from me that generally means the film will be forgotten very quickly.
I wish there was more to say about it. Ultimately I think I would have had more enjoyment out of researching the story this was loosely based on.
What you should do
This isn't one I'd recommend, the moments that are interesting and satisfying to watch do not outweigh the mediocre. Red Joan is something I would say is more interesting as non-fiction than fiction.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
One thing from the movie that I feel we should all take as a top life tip is that men are easily scared by sanitary products, a very handy thing to remember.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated IA: Initiate in Books
Nov 15, 2019
Naz seems like a normal boy. Both his parents have died and the only family he has is his younger sister Meri. Moving from foster home to foster home in the ghetto for the disadvantaged called the Exclave, earning spare money running errands for local shopkeepers.
But Naz is not a normal boy. He can remember nothing before waking up in hospital three years previously following the car crash in which his father died. And he hears voices in his head, or rather one voice which seems familiar although he does not recognise it.
Following an apparently random act of gang violence on the way to his his first day at high school, his life begins to change and he starts to question exactly who he is and what makes him the way he is.
Told from Naz's point of view the reader is drawn into his tale of discovery as he goes about is every day life of school and afterwards in the Exclave. Naz is a very likeable character, concerned for the safety of his sister above all else and suspicious of strangers. He is clever and quick witted but doesn't really use his talents, drifting through school and life in general with the minimum of effort, generally happy with his lot until he is forced to re-evaluate his life as events unfold around him.
The story is paced well with periods of Naz leading his life and going to school, which is made interesting by his observations on everything around him, interspersed with things that Naz does or sees, or that other people say and do, that really make the reader realise that there is 'something else' going on, a bigger picture that Naz is unable to put together, although he gets glimpses. There are also chapters at the start of each section describing a lecture given by Naz's father which adds some more clues.
The ideas here are certainly interesting - this is science fiction of a subtle kind, where only the edges of Naz's life are visible to both him and us, with outsiders often recognising that there is more to him, more that he can achieve. The supporting cast works well, from the hard-pressed merchants fighting the big multiple chain stores to the menacing gang members and other more eccentric inhabitants of the Exclave.
Overall a fascinating and thought provoking read, with plenty of questions left to draw the reader to the next in the series.
But Naz is not a normal boy. He can remember nothing before waking up in hospital three years previously following the car crash in which his father died. And he hears voices in his head, or rather one voice which seems familiar although he does not recognise it.
Following an apparently random act of gang violence on the way to his his first day at high school, his life begins to change and he starts to question exactly who he is and what makes him the way he is.
Told from Naz's point of view the reader is drawn into his tale of discovery as he goes about is every day life of school and afterwards in the Exclave. Naz is a very likeable character, concerned for the safety of his sister above all else and suspicious of strangers. He is clever and quick witted but doesn't really use his talents, drifting through school and life in general with the minimum of effort, generally happy with his lot until he is forced to re-evaluate his life as events unfold around him.
The story is paced well with periods of Naz leading his life and going to school, which is made interesting by his observations on everything around him, interspersed with things that Naz does or sees, or that other people say and do, that really make the reader realise that there is 'something else' going on, a bigger picture that Naz is unable to put together, although he gets glimpses. There are also chapters at the start of each section describing a lecture given by Naz's father which adds some more clues.
The ideas here are certainly interesting - this is science fiction of a subtle kind, where only the edges of Naz's life are visible to both him and us, with outsiders often recognising that there is more to him, more that he can achieve. The supporting cast works well, from the hard-pressed merchants fighting the big multiple chain stores to the menacing gang members and other more eccentric inhabitants of the Exclave.
Overall a fascinating and thought provoking read, with plenty of questions left to draw the reader to the next in the series.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated X-Force/Cable: Messiah War in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Still continuing on my journey, to consume all of the X-FORCE (Vol. 3) stories. Next up: X-FORCE/CABLE: MESSIAH WAR.
Scanning the existing reviews, the general opinion seems to be that this is the way to do a crossover. And having finished it today, I am drawn to the same conclusion as well. From the writing to the art to the overall story progression, everything about this story is a win!
This was my second time reading this story, the first time was when the issues first came in 2008. I liked it first time round, but I felt it made a lot more sense during the second read.
Only thing that still doesn't make sense is Hope and the pseudo-prophetic vision Bishop has in regard to her. All the build-up as far as her character leads one to expect bigger things ahead, but nothing like ever occurs in the post-MESSIAH WAR Hope's life. It doesn't detract from the story, nor do I consider it a true Spoiler, just something I wanted to share. As always I welcome comments, good and bad.
The art was definitely better than the last arc of X-FORCE (Vol. 2: OLD GHOSTS). I found the art styles of both Clayton Crain and Ariel Olivetti, as well as Jamie McKelvie and Mike Choi, suited to the story's dystopian setting. I was especially pleased to see Laura Kinney (X-23) drawn like a 17-year-old girl rather than a 17-year-old with breast implants (I'm looking at you, Mike Choi! #disappointment)!
Despite running through two different titles, CABLE and X-FORCE, the writers - Duane Swierczynski (who is one of my favorite of the modern noir writers) and Christopher Yost/Craig Kyle (I've already spoken highly of their talent in the other X-FORCE reviews I've submitted) - managed to weave together a tapestry both epic as well as grand in its overall finish! Easiest way to sum it up? It was like experiencing a top notch action and suspense-driven science fiction movie!
One of the best things about this crossover is it allows for the character of Cable to show a different side. He genuinely cares about Hope, not just because of her being the "mutant messiah". No, I took it is as a sort of paternal instinct, regarding as a surrogate daughter. I quite liked it. Solid character development!
I like to close my reviews thus: I liked it, but that doesn't mean you will. Give it a shot, and maybe you, too, can offer forth a review (good, bad, or otherwise). Cheers..
Scanning the existing reviews, the general opinion seems to be that this is the way to do a crossover. And having finished it today, I am drawn to the same conclusion as well. From the writing to the art to the overall story progression, everything about this story is a win!
This was my second time reading this story, the first time was when the issues first came in 2008. I liked it first time round, but I felt it made a lot more sense during the second read.
Only thing that still doesn't make sense is Hope and the pseudo-prophetic vision Bishop has in regard to her. All the build-up as far as her character leads one to expect bigger things ahead, but nothing like ever occurs in the post-MESSIAH WAR Hope's life. It doesn't detract from the story, nor do I consider it a true Spoiler, just something I wanted to share. As always I welcome comments, good and bad.
The art was definitely better than the last arc of X-FORCE (Vol. 2: OLD GHOSTS). I found the art styles of both Clayton Crain and Ariel Olivetti, as well as Jamie McKelvie and Mike Choi, suited to the story's dystopian setting. I was especially pleased to see Laura Kinney (X-23) drawn like a 17-year-old girl rather than a 17-year-old with breast implants (I'm looking at you, Mike Choi! #disappointment)!
Despite running through two different titles, CABLE and X-FORCE, the writers - Duane Swierczynski (who is one of my favorite of the modern noir writers) and Christopher Yost/Craig Kyle (I've already spoken highly of their talent in the other X-FORCE reviews I've submitted) - managed to weave together a tapestry both epic as well as grand in its overall finish! Easiest way to sum it up? It was like experiencing a top notch action and suspense-driven science fiction movie!
One of the best things about this crossover is it allows for the character of Cable to show a different side. He genuinely cares about Hope, not just because of her being the "mutant messiah". No, I took it is as a sort of paternal instinct, regarding as a surrogate daughter. I quite liked it. Solid character development!
I like to close my reviews thus: I liked it, but that doesn't mean you will. Give it a shot, and maybe you, too, can offer forth a review (good, bad, or otherwise). Cheers..
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 3, 2021
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Two Days Gone (Ryan DeMarco Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/two-days-gone-by-randall-silvis
NOW AVAILABLE!
<i><b>But doesnt every guilty man hide his deeds behind his words and hide his thoughts behind his smile?</i></b>
This was perfectly set up to be a great novel, but unfortunately, like so many novel nowadays, it instead failed to excite and thrill me, and in the end, turned into an extremely mediocre read.
It wasnt until around 70% of the way through this book that I realised how dislikable DeMarco, our supposed hero, was. His anger and grief was completely understandable after the loss of his wife and child, but I felt he was unnecessarily unkind to his peers and overly passive aggressive in general. <spoiler>Plus can we talk about how much of a shitty cop he was? Getting into a car with a bleeding out dead body to chase an armed, highly fragile man and not alerting anyone? <b>Murdering</b> the main suspect on a case just because he could? Only in fiction.</spoiler>However, out of our two main characters, I was happy to read more about DeMarco than Thomas. I found Thomas PoV to be slow and a little pointless. Again, I understood his anguish and shame etc, but I guess I just couldnt connect to his character and summon up the right emotions to care about his story that much.
This was a slow read for me, but I kept pushing through it because: 1) it wasnt <i>that</i> bad and 2) I was led to believe, by some other reviews, that an amazing twist was going to be revealed. <i>Unfortunately,</i> we got the amazing twist and my reaction was more of an oh than a whoa!! <spoiler>I guess I wanted to the book to feel more realistic, I wanted some innate human darkness to be the cause of the murders, I didnt want a book about revenge.</spoiler> The plot, overall, wasnt too bad, there were some exciting moments, but for the most part this could only just hold my interest.
<i>Two Days Gone</i> didnt grab my attention well enough for me to rate it anything higher than 3 stars. It was an average story, with average characters and an average plot twist. Its a shame because had high hopes for this one, but nevermind, you win some, you lose some. I see Amazon have specified this as a Ryan DeMarco novel so Im assuming we may be seeing a series come out from Silvis, but I wont be keeping up with it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
NOW AVAILABLE!
<i><b>But doesnt every guilty man hide his deeds behind his words and hide his thoughts behind his smile?</i></b>
This was perfectly set up to be a great novel, but unfortunately, like so many novel nowadays, it instead failed to excite and thrill me, and in the end, turned into an extremely mediocre read.
It wasnt until around 70% of the way through this book that I realised how dislikable DeMarco, our supposed hero, was. His anger and grief was completely understandable after the loss of his wife and child, but I felt he was unnecessarily unkind to his peers and overly passive aggressive in general. <spoiler>Plus can we talk about how much of a shitty cop he was? Getting into a car with a bleeding out dead body to chase an armed, highly fragile man and not alerting anyone? <b>Murdering</b> the main suspect on a case just because he could? Only in fiction.</spoiler>However, out of our two main characters, I was happy to read more about DeMarco than Thomas. I found Thomas PoV to be slow and a little pointless. Again, I understood his anguish and shame etc, but I guess I just couldnt connect to his character and summon up the right emotions to care about his story that much.
This was a slow read for me, but I kept pushing through it because: 1) it wasnt <i>that</i> bad and 2) I was led to believe, by some other reviews, that an amazing twist was going to be revealed. <i>Unfortunately,</i> we got the amazing twist and my reaction was more of an oh than a whoa!! <spoiler>I guess I wanted to the book to feel more realistic, I wanted some innate human darkness to be the cause of the murders, I didnt want a book about revenge.</spoiler> The plot, overall, wasnt too bad, there were some exciting moments, but for the most part this could only just hold my interest.
<i>Two Days Gone</i> didnt grab my attention well enough for me to rate it anything higher than 3 stars. It was an average story, with average characters and an average plot twist. Its a shame because had high hopes for this one, but nevermind, you win some, you lose some. I see Amazon have specified this as a Ryan DeMarco novel so Im assuming we may be seeing a series come out from Silvis, but I wont be keeping up with it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Videodrome: Days of O'Blivion in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review</i>
Written as a prequel to David Cronenberg’s horror film, Lee McGeorge explores the potential scenario that led up to the surrealist events in <i>Videodrome</i>. This short story is more science fiction than horror in nature as it only builds up the background and setting to the point in which the film begins.
<i>Days of O’Blivion</i>, as well as the original film, is set during the cold war between the US and USSR. It is a period of time threatened with atomic weapons of mass destruction, and the competition to create the most superior technology. In this particular scenario, two men: Professor Brian Olivier and his friend Barry have been experimenting with special television technology resulting in interesting outcomes. Their product, which they name <i>Veraceo</i> –a compound of Veracity and Video –, has the ability to make everyone believe what they are seeing on screen to be true. This could be a big boon to advertising establishments, however cause dire consequences if found in the wrong hands, i.e. communists.
Readers, including those unfamiliar with the film, should be able to ascertain several problems this technological advancement could pose, making it all the more foreboding when an unknown but powerful company pays out thousands of dollars to become partners with Brian and Barry. What makes it all the more ominous is Brian’s hesitancy in accepting the offer in contrast with Barry’s excitement. As the technology is adapted further it becomes clear that they are dealing with very dangerous concepts and people – hallucinations being only the smallest of side affects.
Although Lee McGeorge is using an already existing story, he makes this prequel his own by exploring the hows and whys <i>Veraceo</i> came to be developed. His narrative is accurate in terms of the way it builds up to coincide with the film script without damaging or giving new meaning to Cronenberg’s original storyline.
Although not horror as in scary, <i>Days of O’Blivion</i> contains many horrific scenes. Most of these are pornographic in nature and rather disturbing, particularly more so as the story progresses – something that lessened the general enjoyment of the book. The overall nature of the book (and film, probably) may appeal more towards a male market, particularly those with a less delicate temperament.
As with his previous books, which also incorporate pre-existing ideas, Lee McGeorge writes well in a way that engages the reader and even interests those without prior knowledge of the subject. There is also additional digital content alongside this book. Those lucky enough to own a paper back copy will be able to access these using an NFC enabled device.
Written as a prequel to David Cronenberg’s horror film, Lee McGeorge explores the potential scenario that led up to the surrealist events in <i>Videodrome</i>. This short story is more science fiction than horror in nature as it only builds up the background and setting to the point in which the film begins.
<i>Days of O’Blivion</i>, as well as the original film, is set during the cold war between the US and USSR. It is a period of time threatened with atomic weapons of mass destruction, and the competition to create the most superior technology. In this particular scenario, two men: Professor Brian Olivier and his friend Barry have been experimenting with special television technology resulting in interesting outcomes. Their product, which they name <i>Veraceo</i> –a compound of Veracity and Video –, has the ability to make everyone believe what they are seeing on screen to be true. This could be a big boon to advertising establishments, however cause dire consequences if found in the wrong hands, i.e. communists.
Readers, including those unfamiliar with the film, should be able to ascertain several problems this technological advancement could pose, making it all the more foreboding when an unknown but powerful company pays out thousands of dollars to become partners with Brian and Barry. What makes it all the more ominous is Brian’s hesitancy in accepting the offer in contrast with Barry’s excitement. As the technology is adapted further it becomes clear that they are dealing with very dangerous concepts and people – hallucinations being only the smallest of side affects.
Although Lee McGeorge is using an already existing story, he makes this prequel his own by exploring the hows and whys <i>Veraceo</i> came to be developed. His narrative is accurate in terms of the way it builds up to coincide with the film script without damaging or giving new meaning to Cronenberg’s original storyline.
Although not horror as in scary, <i>Days of O’Blivion</i> contains many horrific scenes. Most of these are pornographic in nature and rather disturbing, particularly more so as the story progresses – something that lessened the general enjoyment of the book. The overall nature of the book (and film, probably) may appeal more towards a male market, particularly those with a less delicate temperament.
As with his previous books, which also incorporate pre-existing ideas, Lee McGeorge writes well in a way that engages the reader and even interests those without prior knowledge of the subject. There is also additional digital content alongside this book. Those lucky enough to own a paper back copy will be able to access these using an NFC enabled device.
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Madison Avery doesn't believe in fate—until a combination of fate and free will brings her to live with her dad (which her mom thinks is a good thing for her since she can't stay out of trouble at home), gets her a pity-date ("you got your boss to get his son to ask me out? what?"), and kills her (at her junior prom. On her seventeenth birthday. of all the luck.). Now, after having claimed the amulet of the timekeeper who killed her (which is the only thing that keeps her looking like she's alive), she has to learn how to live with death. If that's even possible.
But the dark timekeeper who killed her isn't happy, because she's got his amulet, and she's not all the way dead (just sort of dead). Teaming up with Barnabas—who may or may not be a fallen angel—and the light time keeper, Chronos (or Ron for short), a guardian angel (who she forces to guard someone else) and enlisting the human help of her ex-prom date Josh (who she didn't realize she had a crush on), she has to attempt to save her soul.
All in a day's work for a dead high-schooler… right?
This was the second time I've read Once Dead, Twice Shy. I still can't figure out what the title means. Whatever it means, it was a pretty exciting book. There wasn't a second of "down-time." Madison was always up to something, learning something, running to—or from—something, or saving someone. Every chapter had little pieces of the puzzle, and the way it all fit together at the end, was priceless, hilarious, and promising.
I will say that I don't like where the story picks up. I think Harrison should have actually included the beginning of the story, where she gets killed. I read it before I read this book and I would have been rather lost without it. It was a short story included in Prom Nights from Hell. I don't care if this is technically a "book 1" in the series. It should have been book 2, or at least had the beginning of the story included in it.
I really liked Madison. I liked her character (though not some of her choices—but hey, if I was a dead seventeen year old trying to keep her dad from knowing that she could bend time, I probably would have made those same choices) and I liked her interior monologue. She was serious enough to be nerve-wracking and exciting, but sarcastic enough to give everything a touch of comic relief. I really didn't like Josh in the short prequel to this book, but as his character began to be more clear, I really started to like him. I hope things turn out well between him and Madison. I would have liked a little more romantic tension between them, but what was there was clean and innocent—a little too innocent for Madison Avery.
I don't particularly like Kim Harrison's writing style. It's very casual, it has those dreaded fragments, and it's nothing out of the ordinary. However, her way of describing both physical images and emotional feelings was very good, and I could see everything, hear everything, and feel everything her characters were experiencing. As I mentioned above, I liked the comic relief. I also liked her lack of language through the story. Madison had her own set of "words" and phrases that she used that weren't offensive in any way, and it made the story much more enjoyable. However, the only word I can think of to describe her writing is mediocre, and that and the lack of tension between Madison and Josh are the only reasons I don't give this book five stars.
Content: clean of language, violence, and sexuality of any kind. Thank you Harrison, for writing clean YA fiction!
Recommendation: Ages 12+ to lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, and general YA fiction.
This review is copyright Haley Mathiot and Night Owl Reviews.
But the dark timekeeper who killed her isn't happy, because she's got his amulet, and she's not all the way dead (just sort of dead). Teaming up with Barnabas—who may or may not be a fallen angel—and the light time keeper, Chronos (or Ron for short), a guardian angel (who she forces to guard someone else) and enlisting the human help of her ex-prom date Josh (who she didn't realize she had a crush on), she has to attempt to save her soul.
All in a day's work for a dead high-schooler… right?
This was the second time I've read Once Dead, Twice Shy. I still can't figure out what the title means. Whatever it means, it was a pretty exciting book. There wasn't a second of "down-time." Madison was always up to something, learning something, running to—or from—something, or saving someone. Every chapter had little pieces of the puzzle, and the way it all fit together at the end, was priceless, hilarious, and promising.
I will say that I don't like where the story picks up. I think Harrison should have actually included the beginning of the story, where she gets killed. I read it before I read this book and I would have been rather lost without it. It was a short story included in Prom Nights from Hell. I don't care if this is technically a "book 1" in the series. It should have been book 2, or at least had the beginning of the story included in it.
I really liked Madison. I liked her character (though not some of her choices—but hey, if I was a dead seventeen year old trying to keep her dad from knowing that she could bend time, I probably would have made those same choices) and I liked her interior monologue. She was serious enough to be nerve-wracking and exciting, but sarcastic enough to give everything a touch of comic relief. I really didn't like Josh in the short prequel to this book, but as his character began to be more clear, I really started to like him. I hope things turn out well between him and Madison. I would have liked a little more romantic tension between them, but what was there was clean and innocent—a little too innocent for Madison Avery.
I don't particularly like Kim Harrison's writing style. It's very casual, it has those dreaded fragments, and it's nothing out of the ordinary. However, her way of describing both physical images and emotional feelings was very good, and I could see everything, hear everything, and feel everything her characters were experiencing. As I mentioned above, I liked the comic relief. I also liked her lack of language through the story. Madison had her own set of "words" and phrases that she used that weren't offensive in any way, and it made the story much more enjoyable. However, the only word I can think of to describe her writing is mediocre, and that and the lack of tension between Madison and Josh are the only reasons I don't give this book five stars.
Content: clean of language, violence, and sexuality of any kind. Thank you Harrison, for writing clean YA fiction!
Recommendation: Ages 12+ to lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, and general YA fiction.
This review is copyright Haley Mathiot and Night Owl Reviews.